ADK 2018 Team Captain and Runner Notes

Transcription

1 ADK 2018 Team Captain and Runner Notes Date: Thursday August 30 th, 2018 Time: 7:15PM 9:00 PM Location: Fleet Feet Sports Adirondacks, 37 Kendall Way, Saratoga Springs, NY RAGNAR GOES GREEN The Reebok Ragnar Relay Series is going green and we need your help to do it. We want to make small changes that add up in a big way. Here are just some of the ways we will be going green this year: CUPLESS RACES: Ragnar Relay events are now cupless races. Every participant (runner, volunteer, friend, family, crew, etc) should bring two cups - one for cold liquid and one for hot liquid. We will provide the water, hot chocolate, and coffee but you need to bring the container. Runners are encouraged to use reusable water bottles instead of plastic water bottles. Bring a big cooler of water in the van and fill up your smaller, reusable water bottles as needed. Remember, there won t be cups at water stations along the course so bring your reusable cups with you on your leg! By going cupless, you are helping us eliminate over 300,000 disposable cups from our races each year! No Trash at Minors: Van 1 and Van 2 will receive three clear trash liners, and one blue trash liner when checking in at either Start or Exchange 6. There are no trash bins at minor exchanges, so please use the trash liners in your van and dispose of trash in the appropriate dumpster when you arrive at the next Major Exchange. Dumping & Recycling: There will be dumpsters at all Major Exchanges and recycling at the Finish Line. Please use the blue trash liners for recycling and dispose of recyclables at these locations. We re all in this together. Just like you couldn t conquer a Ragnar Relay without your team, we couldn t reach our goal to become more sustainable without you. Please keep the following in mind while you are out enjoying the most unforgettable weekend of the year! Turn your key, be idle free: Whether you are pulled over on the side of the road and cheering on a teammate or hanging out at an exchange please turn your vehicle completely off. Practice responsible costuming: Feather boas, glitter, and streamers are all things that can accidentally trash the course. When you are coming up with team costumes and van decorations, please make sure that nothing can inadvertently fly off and leave a mess while you are moving along the course. Drive the speed limit: Driving the speed limit not only conserves fuel, it is also the safe thing to do! Bring reusable grocery bags: Instead of using plastic bags to transport your food from the grocery store to your van, use reusable bags instead. Remember, we ll be providing trash liners to collect any trash that accumulates in your van. Carpool: While running a Ragnar Relay you ll automatically be carpooling as you traverse some of the most beautiful areas in the country. Why not carpool to the Start Line, Finish Line, Packet Pick Up, or your training runs? Life is more fun with a copilot anyway. Leave it better than you found it: See a GU packet or gum wrapper on the course? Maybe someone accidentally dropped trash from their van? These things happen. Pick it up and leave it better than you found it! Bonus Karma points for you! Buy local first: Throughout your 200-mile journey you ll have the chance to taste the local flavor. Local businesses and restaurants keep the money flowing within communities, create jobs, use local produce,

2 and are a solid pick when stopping for dinner, coffee or snacks. While you re there, don t forget to thank them for being awesome hosts! LOVE THE LOCALS Ragnar is a beautiful thing and we want to keep it going for as long as we can while keeping our runners and the local communities happy. Unfortunately, there have been times when Ragnar has lost the support of local communities due to bad runner behavior. Our relays cannot happen without the support of the people who live along the course, so this year we are encouraging all Ragnarians to Love the Locals. We want to show these communities just how much Ragnar loves and appreciates their hospitality. Please help us make our courtesy campaign successful by being aware of the following while out on the course: Respect quiet zones: Please keep noise down during night time hours. Be aware of when you are in residential areas. No honking, cowbell, loud talking, music or other loud noises when in residential areas. Leave it better than you found it: Like we mentioned earlier, be sure to pick up any and all trash you see along the course or at exchanges. Keep van decorations clean: A lot of the exchanges along the course are located at churches, schools, and parks (aka places often frequented by children). Not only that, but your vehicle will be seen by many locals as you drive along the 200-mile course and through their communities. Please make sure your van decorations are free of profanity, sexual innuendos, racial slurs, or any offensive images. Unfortunately, inappropriate van decorations are one of the biggest reasons we are not invited to return the next year. Thank the volunteers: These events wouldn t be possible without the hundreds of volunteers who donate their time to make your Ragnar experience awesome and safe. Please thank them frequently and always respect their instructions when at exchanges. Spread positive vibes: Please think twice before making any negative comments about our communities or volunteers both in real life and on social media. You never know who is listening and we want to make sure we re only spreading positivity. When you gotta go, go in a toilet: You would think this one goes without saying, but runners should only pee and poop exclusively in toilets. Public urination or defecation will get you immediately disqualified and could even get your arrested. There are many business with toilets available along the course in addition to the portable restrooms provided by Ragnar at the exchange points. Plan accordingly. Keep off the grass: Please stay off local residents landscaping. Do not run, walk, stand, park your vehicles or sleep on their lawns or in their gardens. No trespassing: Do not trespass onto other people s property or force entry into any buildings. Dispose of trash in trash cans: Putting trash in portable toilets causes serious problems so please dispose of all trash at the designated areas at the major exchanges. Practice responsible tagging: If you must tag another team s van, please do so with either a magnet or washable window markers. Only write on windows and not on the paint to avoid damaging their vehicle. And of course, no vulgar language or images! Go with the flow: Drivers should never slow down or block the flow of traffic to interact with runners. Go the speed limit at all times and do not shadow your runners. Be considerate of the drivers behind you. Traffic jams caused by slow van drivers is one of our biggest complaints every year. Park responsibly: Park in authorized parking spots only. Do not park in or block a neighbor s driveway. Only take up one parking spot. 2

3 UPCOMING DEADLINES All runners registered after September 16 will incur a $20 fee. Payment for these fees will be collected at Exchange 6 on race day. We accept cash or card. Deadline to electronically add runners online is September 16. After this date, you will need to register runners on site on race day. There is a $20 fee per race day registration. Payment will be collected at Exchange 6. Pay for volunteer option closes on September 7. If your volunteers don t show up for their shift, your team will be disqualified. We would hate to see that happen, so please make sure your volunteers are registered and ready for their shift on race day! Final volunteer confirmations are scheduled to go out via 7 days before the race. This will connect your volunteers with their shift manager(s) and include a copy of the volunteer packet. Please have your volunteers contact the volunteer coordinator at ADKVolunteers@ragnarrelay.com if they do not receive their confirmation . CHECK IN When checking into the race on Friday, please follow the below steps. Van 1 runners and Ultras will check in at the Start Line and Van 2 runners will check in at Exchange 6. All 6 members of your van must be present in order to check in. Be sure to arrive at least one hour before you are expected to start running so that you have plenty of time to go through each of the check in steps. The first thing we will ask for when you arrive at check in is your team number. Please help us keep lines short by having your team number ready before you arrive. 1. Check-In and Safety Gear Check: Each van will need to show that they have 2 flashlights/headlamps, 6 reflective vests, and 2 LED tail lights. Jackets and shirts with reflective piping will not be accepted. Teams must have these items with them to complete check in. 2. Safety Briefing: All members of your van will be required to watch the 10-minute safety and courtesy video. 3. Flag Check-Out: Each van will receive 2 safety flags to be returned at the end of the race 4. Goodie Bags: Each van will receive 6 bibs, 2 van stickers, and 1 goodie bag 5. T-shirts (Thursday Packet Pick-Up or Exchange 6 Only): Participants can pick up t-shirts by individual, by van, or for the entire team. You will receive whatever size you requested online, so please make sure you have the correct size entered on your profile. Any participant wishing to exchange sizes may do so at the finish line. You can contact customerservice@ragnarrelay.com to update your t-shirt size. **THURSDAY PACKET PICK UP (OPTIONAL) Thursday September 20 th : Major Exchange #6: Gavin Park, 10 Lewis St., Saratoga Springs, NY (5pm - 8p Skip the lines on Friday and check in on Thursday! Van 1 and Van 2 are encouraged to complete the optional Thursday night check in so that they do not have to check in on Friday. Both vans do not need to check in at the same time, however all 6 members of your van must be present with safety gear to check in on Thursday. The check in process is the same as above. RUNNING ON THE COURSE Here is what you can expect when running your legs along the course: Turn signs: There will be turn signs located at intersections where you change direction as well as confusing intersections to direct you where to go. Turn signs are Touch and Go, which means you should not turn until you are close enough to touch the sign. For example, if you come to an intersection 3

4 and see a left turn sign across the street, you should cross the street, get close enough to the sign to touch it and then turn left. This makes sure you do not turn left too early and risk missing additional signs along the course because you were on the wrong side of the road. Missing signs: There are hundreds of signs along our 200-ish mile course. Unfortunately, some of them will inevitably get turned, knocked down, or stolen. We will have Ragnar Staff patrolling the course to maintain signs during the race, but runners should always carry a phone while running to check the maps in the app. Run against traffic: All runners should run on the left side of the road (against traffic) unless directed otherwise. Always run on the sidewalk if there is one available. Run in same sequence: Runners should run in the same sequence for each segment of the race. For example, if a runner runs leg 3 then he/she must also run leg 15 and leg 27. In the event of an injury, any of the remaining 11 runners can replace the injured runner s legs. You are not allowed to bring in a 13 th team member to run the remaining legs. If you are a mixed team and a woman is injured, at least 18 of the legs must be run by women. Do not shadow runners: Vehicles are not allowed to follow runners to illuminate the road for them or pace them. Running, Pacing & Participating at Night 1. ALL runners must wear night gear during the Official Nighttime Hours reflective vest, headlamp (or flashlight) and blinking LED taillight. 2. ALL participants must wear reflective vests during the Official Nighttime Hours if out of the team van anywhere on the course, including exchanges. 3. Run pacers are allowed at any time during the race. Bike Pacers are allowed on trails during Ragnar defined night time hours. Pacers DO NOT have to be a member of the team. Running pacers can run with the runner but MUST run in single file. Pacers MUST wear the same night safety gear as the runner (reflective vest, headlamp, and LED). 4. If you choose to have a van driver, who is not a runner, the driver must also adhere to these safety guidelines. Night Time Skipping during Night Time Hours Only (Buddy Pass) 1. If you have a runner that doesn t want to run a specific Night Time Leg, teams may skip a leg and have two teammates run together on another leg of their choice. If your team chooses this option you MUST inform Race Command of which leg is being skipped and why. 2. Your next runner cannot start on the next leg until the time that it would have taken to run the skipped leg has elapsed. You will need to calculate your team pace and wait that amount of time before proceeding on the next leg. 3. Teams who skip legs will be placed in the *Unofficial Division*. You will still receive medals, but will not be eligible to officially place in your original division. Your finish time will not be edited for any reason. 4. Teams must check in with the volunteers at the restart exchange to ensure their team # is recorded as being back on the course. Lost runners: If you believe your runner is lost, please text Race Command your team number, the leg number, and the area you last saw your runner. Include a description of the runner and any additional information that might help us locate your runner. Once you ve notified Race Command, leave your next runner and a teammate with a cell phone at the exchange and then send out the van to look for your runner. That way your next runner can start running if the lost runner arrives while the van is out looking for them. The teammate with a cell phone can then call the van and let them know they found your runner! 4

5 Supporting your runner: We encourage each team to spend time out on the course supporting their runner. When supporting your runner, please find a safe and legal place to park and wait for your runner to run to you. Do not park on private property. Always use your crossing flags when crossing the road to support. While at an Exchange please be aware of the following: Only the on vehicle is allowed at the minor exchanges. Only Van 1 can park at Exchanges 1-5 and only Van 2 can park at Exchanges 7-11, etc. Both vans can park at Major Exchanges 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and finish. Van stickers will be distributed during check in and should be placed on the front and rear windshield so that your van is easily identifiable to volunteers at each exchange. Parking: When you arrive at an exchange, please obey the parking directions of volunteers. Only park in designated parking areas and park within the lines. If parking spots do not have lines, please park as efficiently as possible so that everyone can fit. Vehicle size: If your vehicle cannot fit in a standard parking spot, it is too big and will not be allowed at any of the exchanges. Your vehicle should not be longer than 20. This includes: motor homes, pulled trailers, buses, or limos. Toilets: There will be portable toilets available for use at every exchange. Remember, if you gotta go, use a toilet! Lock up: We hate that we have to say it, but unfortunately our events are not without theft. Please make sure you are always locking your vehicle whenever your team gets out at an exchange. Make sure someone has the keys with them before you lock up and that the keys don t run off with the next runner! While it is easy to be trusting of a sea of people wearing superhero costumes and tutus, we know you are leaving a lot of valuables in your car and would hate to see them disappear. LOST AND FOUND All clothing items, electronics, wallets, and other personal effects will be collected by staff and turned in to finish line. Participants can check in at Ragnar HQ to see if their missing items have been turned in. If your lost item is not at HQ, you can text Race Command to see if it was turned in somewhere along the course and when it is expected to arrive at the finish line. You can customerservice@ragnarrelay.com to locate your items after the race. SAFETY GENERAL SAFETY NIGHT TIME HOURS: 5:45 PM 7:15 AM Orange Crossing Flags: Each van will receive 2 orange crossing flags during check in. These flags are to be used whenever a team member who is not the active runner crosses the street. These flags do not magically stop traffic so please look both ways and always cross where it is safe and legal to do so. You will return your flag at the finish line. Any unreturned flags will incur a $15 fee per flag charged to the Team Captain. Three Strike Rule: Race officials will monitor teams throughout the event to ensure everyone is staying safe and following the rules. Teams will be notified via text message when a rule violation occurs. If a team receives 3 violations, they will be disqualified. Race Officials reserve the right to automatically disqualify a team for serious infractions. Race Command: 661 RAGNAR1 ( )). Race command is your one stop hotline for anything and everything you could possible need during a race. Toilets running low on toilet paper? Let Race Command know! Can t find the designated sleeping area at a major exchange? Race Command to the rescue! If you see a team cheating or violating the rules, please text it in to Race Command immediately. Race Command is a text only number so please text and do not call. 5

6 Sleep in designated sleeping areas only: Do not sleep in parking lots or anywhere a car could accidentally park on top of you. Any teams caught sleeping in parking lots will receive a violation. Make sure you are sleeping in designated sleeping areas and not on private property. Race Bibs: Please be sure to fill out the medical information on the back of your bib. Your bib should always be pinned to the front of your clothing and on the outermost layer of clothing so that it is always visible to volunteers and staff. LEG SUPPORT DESIGNATIONS Each of the 36 legs on the course are designated one of three ways: Support, No Van Support/No Pulling Over, and Partial No Van Support. Support Legs: Teams can support their runner anywhere along the leg so long as they find a safe and legal place to pull over. Teams should not block the runner s path or park in a local resident s driveway while supporting their runner. No Van Support/No Pulling Over: Vans CANNOT pull over or support their runner anywhere along the leg. Vans should find somewhere off course to wait for their runner or head directly to the next exchange. All No Van Support legs over 4 miles will have at least 1 water station on the leg. NO VAN SUPPORT LEGS AT THIS RACE: 4, 16, 17, 18, 19, 27, 28, 31, 32, & 36 Partial No Van Support: Similar to a No Van Support leg, except only a portion of the leg is designated No Van Support/No Pulling Over and the rest of the leg is full support. Teams should refer to the leg maps to confirm which section of the leg allows support. PARTIAL NO VAN SUPPORT LEGS AT THIS RACE: 30 WEATHER Heat: o o o PRE-HYDRATE, HYDRATE, AND RE-HYDRATE: Every van should carry a cooler for water and/or sports drinks. Runners should pre-hydrate before each of their legs, hydrate while running, and re-hydrate after each leg. Be sure to supplement water intake with electrolytes such as Nuun or salt sticks. Proper hydration is achieved when a runner has clear (light lemonade colored) and copious urine. OBSERVE YOUR RUNNERS: Closely monitor the condition of your runners before, during, and after each leg. If the heat index is about 90 degrees, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible. A heat index of 105 degrees or higher, means heat exhaustion is likely and heat stroke is possible with continued activity. SUNSCREEN: Lathering up is cool. Especially when you re wearing a Speedo. Extreme Conditions: o Race Command will monitor weather conditions continuously throughout the race. Should any extreme weather such as lightning or flooding occur on the course, we will implement a weather hold. Staff will be available on the course to give instruction on how this works and make sure all runners are clear on procedure. Here are the basics: If a hold is necessary on all or part of the course, teams will receive a hold card when they arrive at the exchange before the hold area. This card will tell them how many hours to hold and which exchange they should restart their legs from. 6

7 Stay safe and stay off course. You will need to skip one leg for everyone one hour of the hold. When it is time to restart (the time will be listed on your hold card), you will drive to the exchange and send that runner off. Be sure to hold onto your card to turn into volunteers at the exchange so that we can make the necessary adjustments to your finish time. Runners who missed a chance to run during the hold may double up and run any other later leg on the course. FIRST AID First aid stations are located at the major exchanges (6, 12, 18, 24, and 30) and the finish line. Medics are equipped to handle minor injuries and heat exhaustion. If a runner s heat exhaustion is severe enough to require an IV, that runner will be transported to the nearest hospital and will not be allowed to finish their remaining legs. In the event of a medical emergency (i.e. any life-threatening condition or injury that requires immediate medical attention) call 911 immediately. Once you have called 911, notify Race Command via text message so that we can provide your team with additional assistance. The ER closest to each Major Exchange will be listed in the Ragnar App PACE PROJECTIONS AND HOLDING TIMES Always be aware of your team s pace as you move through the course. Teams that get ahead of the holding times will held at the exchange for as long as two and a half hours to ensure they do not get ahead of the set-up crews and volunteers. If you haven t already, we encourage you to download and complete the pace calculator and compare it to the Holding Teams Document to ensure that you are not projected to get ahead of the holding times. You can find the pace calculator and Holding Teams Document in the UPDATES section of the website. If your start times places you ahead of the holding times or behind the Course Takedown times, please send a copy of your completed pace calculator to mike.h@ragnarrelay.com to request a new start time. All teams should cross the finish line by 8 PM. TEAM DIVISION AND CLASSIFICATION By default, all teams are listed as Mixed Open on the website. If your team is competitive, it is important that you update your division and classification on your team page so that we place you in the correct standings at the end of the race. There are different divisions and classifications so please use the table below to see which one best fits your team. DIVISION Open Masters High School Military/Public Service REQUIREMENT One or more under 40 All 40 or over Students ages Nine military/firemen/law enforcement officers 7

8 Corporate CrossFit 6 employees or family of employee 6 members of a CrossFit Affiliate Within each division there are 3 gender classifications. The Corporate and CrossFit Divisions are only eligible to be placed in the Mixed Regular or Mixed Ultra classifications. High School teams are only eligible to be placed in the Mixed Regular Division. CLASSIFICATION Men Women Mixed REGULAR (Teams of 12) 7-12 men All women 6 or more women ULTRA (Teams of 6) 4-6 men All women 3 or more women All division and classification adjustments can be made by your team captain on your team page. The last day to change your divisions and classifications will be Friday April 24. After that date, we will no longer accept division or classification changes. TRAVEL and HOTELS Visit our Plan Your Trip pages, which host hotel listings with phone numbers and links to reserve. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: What are the earliest and latest star times available? A: Start times are from 5:00 AM to 11:30 PM Q: Can I leave my personal vehicle at the Start or Exchange 6 on Friday and then come and pick it up after the race? A: Unfortunately, you cannot leave your personal vehicle at any of the exchanges to be picked up at a later time. We suggest riding to Start/Exchange 6 in your team vehicle. If you must drive your personal vehicle, we suggest you find a public parking lot where you can leave your car and not get ticketed or towed. Q: Why do legs and course maps change? A: Each year we need to make adjustments to the course based on permit requirements, increased team size, construction along the course, conflicting events or feedback from local communities. The number one reason for course changes every year is bad runner behavior. This is why it is so important to Love the Locals! Respect quiet hours, keep your van decorations kid-friendly, and respect private property at all times. Q: What is van parking like at major exchanges? Are friends and family allowed to park and hang out? A: Unfortunately, our majors and minors are not able to accommodate additional vehicles for friends and family. Only the on vehicle will be allowed to park at each of the minors and only 2 vans per team will be allowed to park at the major exchanges. Friends and family are encouraged to wait until the finish line where there is plenty of additional parking for them. 8

9 Q: How early should we arrive at Start or Exchange 6? A: Van 1 should arrive at the start line at least one hour before their assigned start time and Van 2 should arrive at Exchange 6 at least one hour before Runner 6 is expected to arrive at the exchange. Q: How many teams are in each start wave? A: Approximately teams start at each start time. Q: How many bibs does each team receive? A: Regular teams receive 12 bibs and Ultra teams receive 6 bibs. Q: Can a team use one vehicle instead of two? A: Absolutely! Teams often use one vehicle to save on rental fees and fuel and to be more eco-friendly. If you decide to use one vehicle, make sure you place the stickers for both Van 1 and Van 2 on your vehicle so that you will be allowed to park at each of the exchanges. Q: What do the runners use as a baton to hand to their next runner? A: Teams will receive one slap bracelet to pass from runner to runner at each exchange. Q: What if we lose our slap bracelet? A: If you lose your slap bracelet, you can simply high five/hug/chest bump in the exchange chute and continue. Q: Are we able to recycle our slap bracelet? A: The slap bracelet is yours to keep! However, if you plan on tossing it in the trash, we encourage you to turn it in at the finish line so that we can properly recycle it Q: How many mile markers do you have on the course? A: We place a One MILE to Go sign at the one Km mark before each exchange. We do everything we can to make sure the sign placement is accurate, but it might vary by a tenth of a mile in some cases. Q: What happens if a sign is lost or stolen? A: We have staff patrolling the course replacing lost or stolen signs. If you come across a missing sign, please text it in to Race Command immediately so that we can get it fixed ASAP. Always run with your phone so that you do not get lost if a sign is missing or stolen. Q: Where and when do you take team photos? A: We take your team photo at the finish line. Q: Will there be beer at the finish line? A: You bet! Beer will be available for purchase at the finish line. A portion of the proceeds from the beer garden will benefit REASON to SMILE so come ready to party! Q: Do all 12 runners have check in at the start line? A: No. Only Van 1 is required to check in at start. Van 2 will check in at Exchange 6. Q: Will there be Ragnar merchandise available for sale at the race? A: Yes. Ragnar merch will be sold at PPU, Exchange 6 and at the Finish Line. 9

10 Q: Are there showers available? A: Showers are available at EX s 12 and 30 Q: Are there water stations along the course? A: We have water available at all of the major exchanges and on some of the No Van Support legs. Check the leg descriptions in the app to see if there are water stations on your legs. Q: What if we lose reception on the course? Can we still use the Ragnar App? A: Fortunately, our app and all of the information on it can be pre-loaded. Prior to the race (we recommend Thursday night before the race to get the most recent information) you can open the app, click on the race, and click on each page to pre-load the content. Make sure that each page you plan on using is opened. Leg maps can be further bookmarked by clicking on the small hart at the top right corner of the leg map. Please remember to thank our volunteers and locals! Along with our runners, they are the heart and soul of our races and we couldn t do it without them!!! Happy Running! 10